1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to an improved hard surface cleaner especially effective on bathroom soils, such as soap scum. The inventive hard surface cleaner benefits from a novel combination of builders, namely, a precipitating and a non-precipitating builder.
2. Brief Statement of the Related Art
A number of hard surface cleaners have been specially formulated to target bathroom soils. These include products containing liquid hypochlorite for combating mildew and fungus; products with quaternary ammonium compounds as bacteriostats; and acidic cleaners, such as those containing phosphoric or other strong mineral acids.
These cleaners will typically include buffers, dyes, fragrances, and the like in order to provide performance and/or aesthetic enhancements.
Co-pending and parent application Ser. No. 08/731,653, filed Oct. 17, 1996, now U.S. Pat. No. 5,972,876 of Robbins et al., entitled xe2x80x9cLow Odor, Hard Surface Cleaner with Improved Soil Removal,xe2x80x9d of common assignment, discloses and claims a low odor hard surface cleaner which includes amine oxide, quaternary ammonium compound and tetrapotassium ethylenediaminetetraacetate for enhanced and proficient soil removal. Its disclosure is incorporated herein by reference thereto.
Co-pending application Ser. No. 08/807,187, filed Feb. 2, 1997, now U.S. Pat. No. 6,013,615of Zhou et al., entitled xe2x80x9cAntimicrobial Hard Surface Cleaner,xe2x80x9d also of common assignment, discloses and claims an antimicrobial hard surface cleaner which includes amine oxide, quaternary ammonium compound and tetrasodium EDTA, in which a critical amine oxide: EDTA ratio results in enhanced non-streaking and non-filming performance. Its disclosure is incorporated herein by reference thereto.
Mills et al., U.S. Pat. No. 5,814,591, further of common assignment, discloses and claims a hard surface cleaner which includes surfactants and tetraammonium EDTA for proficient soap scum and soil removal. Its disclosure is incorporated herein by reference thereto.
However, none of the art discloses, teaches or suggest the use of a less than completely neutralized EDTA (especially where the neutralizing agent is a potassium saltxe2x80x94e.g., KOHxe2x80x94resulting in a K+ counterion), combined with a precipitating builder (preferably, another and different potassium salt) as an effective chelating agent which additionally surprisingly enhances the soil removing, especially soap scum-removing, ability of the liquid, one phase cleaners formulated therewith. Additionally, unlike some of the prior chelating agents, the combined non-completely neutralized potassium EDTA has very low to no odor, which is a significant beneficial attribute to the inventive cleaners hereof. Moreover, none of the art discloses, teaches or suggests the unexpected speed at which the inventive cleaners work.
The invention provides an aqueous, hard surface cleaner, said cleaner comprising: an aqueous hard surface cleaner with improved soil, especially soap scum, removal comprising:
(a) either an anionic, nonionic, amphoteric surfactant, and mixtures thereof with optionally, a quaternary ammonium surfactant, said surfactants being present in a (cleaningxe2x80x94effective amount;
(b) at least one water-soluble or dispersible organic solvent having a vapor pressure of at least 0.001 mm Hg at 25xc2x0 C., said at least one organic solvent present in a solubilizingxe2x80x94or dispersionxe2x80x94effective amount;
(c) a combination of (i) an incompletely neutralized potassium ethylenediaminexe2x80x94tetraacetate (EDTA) and (ii) a precipitating co-builder as chelating agents present in an amount effective to enhance soil removal in said cleaner; and
(d) the remainder, water.
The invention further comprises a method of cleaning soils, especially soap scum from hard surfaces by applying said inventive cleaner to said soap scum, and removing both from said surface.
It is therefore an object of this invention to improve soil, especially soap scum, removal from hard surfaces.
It is another object of this invention to markedly increase the speed in which such soils, especially soap scum, are removed from the hard surface cleaned.
It is also an object of this invention to provide a hard surface cleaner for bathroom soils, which include oily and particulate soils.
It is a further object of this invention to provide a low to no odor hard surface cleaner.
It is a still further object of this invention to provide a hard surface cleaner which has at least comparable performance at lower cost compared to a leading cleaner.
It is also an object of this invention to combine non-precipitating and precipitating builders to provide enhanced cleaning.